Leapmotor T03: The New King Of CHEAP EVs?

[@dxg999]

The factory in Poland isn't to reduce carbon from shipping. It's to "manufacture" (read: assemble) them in the EU to avoid the EU tarriffs on Chinese electric cars.

[@JackScarlett1]

Or both?

[@jo_magpie]

Was shocked he pretends it's some magical reason chinese cars get more expensive here. He's not that dim.

[@krazed0451]

​@@jo_magpieMedia access agreements exist.

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

US is much more thorough in checking and barring Chinese EVs by ensuring no Chinese tech can be used in major components.

[@nakfan]

Great review, Jack 👍 Hope this small car will arrive here in Denmark eventually... All the best, Per (DK)

[@jonevansauthor]

I love starting with an SUV no-one cares about, and immediately dismissing it because they're useless death machines and no-one has been crying out for more of those monstrosities, so you can talk about cars that are important which is to say, cheaper and smaller.

[@MaticTheProto]

Amen

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

Cheaper, smaller, death machines, yeah.

[@NoInfoFound]

.... so he can talk about a cheaper, smaller more deathy machine? I tease, It will be interesting to see what the Euro NCAP rating on the T03 will be.

[@gluttonousmaximus9048]

Honestly, all cars are equally useless death machines if amassed. This channel should really start focusing on more lightweight means of travel or better public transport options instead of cars.

[@truetech4158]

@@MaticTheProto Well, its not like accidents really really produce 'after' lives. But you know how those who want to pretend affordable vehicles are cherub chariots for free shipping of flawless brand new gravity defying harps.

[@twojanazwa]

This car is assembled in factory of Fiat/Stellantis in Tychy, Poland. It replaced production line of Fiat 500.

[@foppo100]

Good sign well build by people who want to keep their job.

[@MichaelFergusonVideos]

I bought a used 2013 Fiat 500e ($32k new) with 25,000 miles on it for $7,000 in 2017 and drove it for 5 years. It was a compliance car using the Fiat 500 chassis. It was similar in size to the Leapmotor T03. We need afforable electric cars, not luxury ones. The used electric car market is too expensive as well.

[@lookoutleo]

My 2011 panda was built in Poland :)

[@jo_magpie]

And why it's cheap. Not imported from china and subject to protectionist import tax on chinese cars.

[@ziggarillo]

@@MichaelFergusonVideos You're not keeping up with developments

[@drxym]

If it's Stellantis backed, they should have shoved one of their brands on it. Would sell 10x as many cars just by changing the badge and offering servicing & warranties.

[@thewelshwarrior4634]

Yeah, it seems really weird that you wouldn't market this as Vauxhall Hop, or Citroen Saute (french of Leap) for a bit of brand recognition and trust, coming from a brand no one has heard off and being called the really forgettable TO3 surely has to hurt sales.

[@YSKWatch]

stelantis bought 20% of leapmotor. I assume they will rebadge, turned out they are not.

[@timscott3027]

Maybe not though, I mean Citroen and vauxhall small cars conjure up images of naff plastic tat for some people, even if it's not really deserved. But this has a clean slate maybe a fresh start and leapmotor will become a well known brand?

[@JackScarlett1]

I'm hoping that's next...

[@Harrythehun]

Maybe legacy brand value is worth to preserve? And maybe the Leap car isn't good enough for the brands.

[@Jaw0lf]

Small EV, more efficient and relatively cheap. We need more of these for the major car market.

[@SenEscape]

I love this concept. Compact car. Lightweight. Instant torque. Automakers take note. We need more of these.

[@clacton17]

Eeh it's not a concept, it's 3 years old.

[@SenEscape]

@@clacton17 perhaps 'product' or 'form factor' is a better word to use then. I love the form factor. Compact electric vehicle. Lightweight. Instant torque. Automakers take note. We need more cars like these.

[@GeordiLaForgery]

Looks like another car we will never see or will be £8000 more than the stated price.

[@Harrythehun]

Remember VW e-up, Seat Mii electric, Skoda?

[@santostv.]

“Nobody” buys them despite what people say

[@wrutherfordx3x]

"USB A!?! What is that, 1952?" Genuinely burst out laughing, which is what I needed. Nice job, Sir.

[@JackScarlett1]

This makes me happy!

[@wrutherfordx3x]

@@JackScarlett1 Well deserved. Keep up the good work.

[@ColinCarFan]

Pointless observation. It will only be used as a charger and there are no where near as many USB C connectors on planes, trains, hotel outlets etc so you will need a USB A cable anyway and you can leave it in the car :)

[@glenturner9857]

USB-A 2.0 will deliver a maximum of 2.5W. Modern phones will charge at rates up to 27W when connected to a USB-C PD adapter. So USB-C is a worthwhile feature. A iPhone 15 will charge to 50% in 30 minutes from USB-C, the same 50% will take more than 5 hours from USB-A.

[@fernandomustachioso9737]

Man.. Adaptive cruise on a car that price? Great stuff. I think the brand new Dacia Duster doesn't have it even as an extra option!

[@truetech4158]

Soon the only reason for a wheel placed in front of the driver, will be so that the vehicle can accurately take a glucose reading by stabbing a finger every so often, to determine if the occupant behind the wheel needs to pull into a drive through to reup on supplies, to stave off the activation of Adaptive Hearse Mode.

[@philiptaylor7902]

Can't help thinking if they'd lost the sunroof and replaced the screen with Apple Carplay/Android Auto they could have shaved another grand off the price.

[@PhilAinsworth-qy4ns]

No way does that tech cost them a grand per unit manufactured.

[@dave4803]

Could've saved more money by putting a real hand brake in the car.

[@philiptaylor7902]

@@PhilAinsworth-qy4ns Maybe so, but you know what I mean, it seems oddly overspec’d in some regards, when you consider what it is and what it’s competing with.

[@davidspencer7254]

Quite like the fact it has a sunroof.

[@decimal1815]

aftermarket phone mounts will follow..

[@nigelcnash]

We have a eUP! It is excellent. It was becoming a concern that narrow cars were disappearing because of the width of common battery platforms. Narrow cars are a great luxury when navigating country lanes (this is Devon), parking, and not crashing into things. So this, the Hyundai and Nissan Microbecome a possible replacement. The Mini is far too big. But the Renault 5 and the Twingo look gorgeous.

[@mikeymike1792]

I feel like I haven't seen a Jack video in an age. Welcome back Jack!

[@truetech4158]

Haha, that was a very funny read. Feeling better?

[@JackScarlett1]

Still here baby!

[@sagenolan]

@@JackScarlett1have you had a chance at driving the inster? (and will there be a video)

[@JackScarlett1]

@@sagenolan yes and yes. Drove it weeks ago in Korea, embargo drops end of the month.

[@tiagopinto365]

i had a Ford Fiesta 94 too!! this car is exactly that wich Jack said, more than enough cheap solution and with nowadays tecnology a great great car to get around from point a to b to c... wich is what we need! safely

[@stevenbarrett7648]

No Chinese cars in the UK ? How about the range of MG EV's, Polestar, Volvo to name but a few

[@mealien0808]

Lotus, MG, Smart, Volvo, polestar, and the london EV black cab are owned by Geely, a chinese car company 😂😂

[@davidspencer7254]

@@mealien0808 MG is owned by SAIC not Geely.

[@LittleBoobsLover]

all of them are super expensive xd Nothing like this type of car with 500km of range, fast charge and for about 20k. You can mofdify old nissan gen1 with 8kusd new battery with 450-550 km range.

[@peterjones6640]

See quite a few MG4s where I live in the UK

[@jamesengland7461]

He did not say "no" Chinese cars.

[@HolgerJakobs]

I like how you embrace the fact that most people just want to move from A to B and don't care about looking posh.

[@G-ra-ha-m]

Not a fact, there's no reason it has to be that ugly.

[@decimal1815]

although judging by the comments on the latest Kia EV(X insert number here) reviews - there are lots of wealthy people out there who still love massive cars. Personally, I love the design of this..

[@yatarookayama8329]

Wrong !

[@decimal1815]

also - what looks ugly today becomes a classic later - lots of examples of that in design where functionality was initially prioritised over aesthetics

[@PhantomRadish]

Always love a Jack video. The angry birds pig comment genuinely made me spit out my cereal 🤣🤣🤣

[@Souchirouu]

Outside of China we only talk about a handful of Chinese EV brands but the competition there is brutal with hundreds of companies. The fact that this get sold outside of China means it has already proven itself in the local market and it shows.

[@BMWHP2]

Thanks Jack, good honest review. Funky little EV, and should be a very strong competition to the Spring. We love the small cars that used to have 2-doors. The 4-door versions were an expansive option. In the 60th and 70th people also seemed to be more agile. . . . . . at least we had no problem to get in the back of a 2-door hothatch. (or we complained less) 😂. And i think, it is more easy to give those 2-door car a more "sporty" design. Many of these modern 4-door sedans and SUV's all have the same silhouette, can tell one from an other. We hope there will come more 2-door EV's. EVERYTHING is already 4-door, and like so many, we are a 2 person household. We even have no need for 4 seats, so why 4 doors. Less weight is good.

[@peteinwisconsin2496]

I also want a a 2-door 'mobile, so I can get in and out more easily. Notice how the front of Jack's seat is behind the pillar between the two doors on the T03. Those doors are way too small and should be replaced with one usable door. I fear that the 2-door 'mobile is extinct because some customers need four doors. As with many products--as in bicycles--we are now in the era of "one size fits most".

[@Alex-tj1zo]

Regarding E-Up, Mii, and Citigo IV discontinuation: While VAG is wondering where its profit is evaporating, I will go have a test drive with one of these small toys. VAG needs to fire the old management and increase enineering pay.

[@DrazenKlisuric]

Is the battery cooled? I think it's most important thing to keep battery healthy over the time and nobody includes that information in their videos...

[@MartinLV.]

exactly! battery temp. management is ev long life key! also heat pump or not makes huge milage per kw/h difference.

[@eddthirty4065]

Wouldn't make difference difference in Europe, till you get to Spain or Greece. We've had a Nissan Leaf since 2015 and it has over 90% SOH, 72k miles.

[@DrazenKlisuric]

@@eddthirty4065 huh, here in continental croatia is hell in the summer last decade due to climate change. This summer we had more than 30 days in row daily temperatures over 35 degrees (in the shadow) and more than 25 degrees in night.

[@MartinLV.]

@@eddthirty4065 in north we get couple +25'C summer months and couple -25'C in winter.

[@teagueman100]

@@eddthirty4065 Yeah but a 2015 Leaf in Australia has a SOH of less than 50% making them junk. Battery cooling is a must if you live somewhere that gets over 20C regularly, which a lots of parts of the planet get.

[@drfisheye]

The seats in small cars are higher, because that makes people sit more straight up and towards the pedals, which gives more space in the back. Also more space for feet under the front seats. That's also why small cars are often higher than larger sedans. Some small cars even put the pedals more towards the center of the car, so you sit slightly diagonal, giving even more space in the back.

[@baronvonjo1929]

Welp, that failed here. Look how useless that back seat is. Buying a car with a entire back seat that can't be used seems ridiculous.

[@RichardHilditch]

I suspect that the real reason Jack does not talk about the C10 in this video is that it is still under embargo. There are no other European reviews of this yet.

[@oliverstemp9132]

Lots of Australian ones, it looks good

[@randomjasmicisrandom]

I learned to drive in a beaten up Nissan Sunny and my first car was an almost but not quite new VW Polo that I drove all over Europe including a brilliant drive with my girlfriend all the way down the Rhine to Austria. We graduated to a Golf once we had kids, and coped really well in that. We definitely need smaller cars to make a come back.

[@pasias7785]

learned to drive in my parents old ford escort and (the driving school's) peugeot 306 been driving for the better part of a decade a first generation A3. if it wasnt a 3 door it would be perfect. at some point i will graduate to something a bit bigger (i do 300-500km one way trips on the regular), but i think a model 3 (or worst case a passat comby) is the max i could need. These huge SUVs are very annoying on the road. and worst thing is we had good sized cars in europe, but as always we learn the bad parts from the US...

[@zandahstarick1136]

have to say jack, this is the first video i’ve watched of yours where you’ve really come into your skin and your confidence about the car was great. Cool to watch you evolve as car reviewer.

[@keithreynolds]

Without Apple Carplay a USB A is great for an old memory stick for music. We have separate ones for different artists... so choose a stick, push it in, drive off. No fuss. ​​⁠250mb is just right size for a few albums by an artist. The 4gb ones I already have a stack of are already too data heavy and if you put much on them entail fiddling and searching… so not as good.

[@concinnus]

I mean, USB-C 256GB sticks are

[@xWood4000]

You can choose to put 250mb on a 32/64/128GB usb c stick if you want to

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

C10 is about to go on sale in Oz,.. sat in one the other week, then took a good look at shut lines, welds, seat stitching,.. car nerd stuff,.. And then listened to it pull away in total silence. The engineer who runs Leapmotor has a damn good team onboard, going by the fit and finish that is better then Tesla, and the tuning of the waveforms to get the motor to be silent. Not sure about the Storm Trooper styling of the front, but everything else was pretty damn nice.

[@chrissscottt]

Near new to new Ora Cats cost 15000 to 18000 pounds equivalent in New Zealand. Lot of middle men in the UK I'm guessing.

[@atrumluminarium]

Small cheap cars need to make a comeback with the European brands. And they need to start providing options that trim the fat and not have a shit ton of clutter and screens on the dashboard.

[@alainsauvage]

Refreshing - a motoring journalist who thinks about what most people want in a car. So enjoy the more nuanced approach to car reviews done by Jack. Thanks mate.

[@mikadavies660]

Nice to see something that is actually cheap to buy. Compare this with the newly released Microlino which costs £17,990 and only has a 55 mile range! Plus this actually seats 4 not 2!

[@patrickbarrett7536]

It's so frustrating that the price for these cars, whilst cheap in Europe are so much cheaper in China...

[@ziggarillo]

You can get one at the Chinese price, you just have to live in China on a Chinese income. It's pretty expensive there, from that point of view

[@Jimmy_Chow]

绝大部分进口汽车都涉及关税，或者消费税或增值税，以及国际物流费用

[@Kennon959]

And yet they're still dubbed as dumping 🤣 and overcapacity at the higher prices.

[@YSKWatch]

chinese company will export more, because of the competition in china they have to sell as low as possible, export is a chance to get higher profit.

[@aliruane]

Love this!!! Keep these little beautiful efficient little cars coming!

[@MichaelFergusonVideos]

This is what the new version of the Fiat 500e should have been. I love it even with the clunky screen. My concern with Stellantis using the skateboard platform to make different models is that they might make only expensive models.

[@drfisheye]

More like what the Fiat Panda should have been. The 500 is more upmarket. And since the Grand Panda will be a cheap car based on the Citroën e-C3, it is indeed coming.

[@kieronimo1]

Awesome. Wish it was a bit shorter and a two seater, but with the same range. We need two seater cars in our cities (and affordable convenient charging infrastructure). There should be lamp-post mount chargers that allow you to log-in to your electricity supplier. A small extra tariff should be added but this should be strictly regulated and strictly small. Charging shouldn't be ridiculous for those without driveways. In addition, tariffs should be waved for people buying two seater city cars (with motorway speed capability) who live within city areas. Our cities are unnecessarily over-run with big cars and pollution. Subsidies and tax reductions should apply to small EVs. Also, nobody wants a car they can't take on the motorway. These cars should travel at least 75mph and be safe. The Chinese can produce them for cheap. We should exploit that for the health of the nation.

[@zen1647]

Yep! Subsidise small EVs and tax SUVs higher.

[@wojciechmuras553]

Nah. No one wants 2 seaters anymore. Who are they supposed to be for? And why can't the same people be served by a 4 seater? At least when you fold the rear seat down, you get a reasonable trunk.

[@kieronimo1]

@@wojciechmuras553 Most cars only carry one or two people, and are used for work commuting. It's very difficult to park in a lot of urban areas. My flat is in Bristol near the Rovers ground. People regularly can't find a space or park at all. I've previously owned Smart Cars for that reason. If small EVs made economic sense for people, many more would buy them in cities (if the charging infrastructure was there). I'm actually quite far from the centre in Bristol. The closer you get to town, the harder it is to park. Tiny cars make sense for commuters and childless families in these areas (and urban areas have a proportionately higher amount of singles and couples). In addition, cities are where pollution is worse, so this would begin to address it.

[@Ashley.D]

Small cars, especially small EVs _please_ auto manufacturers. I'm talking i10 or old Panda sized. I just need something to get me and the missus around when it doesn't make sense to catch the train. The Inster and this could be a good start

[@kyknekeer]

Jack: rare to see a Chinese ev on the road in the UK. Also Jack: Drives a Chinese ev (Polestar 2).

[@michaelgreen5515]

Brilliant review and we need small simple 2nd family motors rather than another SUV.

[@eddthirty4065]

Agree 100% - small, affordable EVs. 160 real miles is pretty good. More than you need for a city car. They could make one with half the range and may sell even better. We've had a Leaf since 2015 with a real range go 70 miles and it's still going strong.

[@rob_lightbody]

It's perfect for the UK roads. Isn't it a shame a UK company can't make a car for the UK roads though.

[@antmoto6668]

Intelligent review. Thanks.

[@hazelpurls]

Yep - this is the sort of car I'd like. It's ticking a lot of my requirements. Thanks for the review.

[@elfRrank]

That's the future of individual mobility. Thanks for a review that underlines the benefits of small cars. Less is more for all!

[@harrismedwell2386]

Need more of Jack on this channel

[@MarlinMay]

Please keep track of how well they sell. If it sells well, please feel free to publicly crow triumphantly. If it doesn't, well, please do an episode explaining positing why.

[@recklessrogue9027]

Okay Jack you had me dissapointed at the start as I was sure it was not an SUV video xD Seriously that intro was brilliant "Here is another silly SUV... anyway here is a car worth talking about" I was a bit dissapointed by the battery and range until you mentioned the price... crazy for Spring money you could get that much more range. You're so right we need to get back to making properly small cars which are big enough for many and not only start cheap but then become very cheap.

[@johnknight9150]

I clicked Like when Jack moved on to the little car. [edit:] Wait, why aren't Dacia building a little box like this? Why is it an imitation soft-roader thingy with styling bits? Lose the sunroof, Leap, knock a few hundred quid off.

[@wojciechmuras553]

Dacia does build something just like this - the Spring. Also a small electric thing from China. However, it's been a few years since it was introduced, and it's starting to show its age, despite the refresh.

[@johnknight9150]

@@wojciechmuras553 The Spring is the car I'm complaining about. I wish it were more like the Leap.

[@wojciechmuras553]

@@johnknight9150 Well, the new Renault Twingo is out - maybe Dacia can get its hands on it and do their magic.

[@johnknight9150]

@@wojciechmuras553 A stripped-back povvo version? Not a bad idea.

[@tomsmith9281]

:) So awesome to see, and thanks for the video! I would buy this car as my next car in a heartbeat. You are right that the small car market is essentially non-existent, as auto-manufacturers take advantage of the profits they can make with larger more luxurious cars. Our big problem here in Canada, which makes me extremely sad, particularly when I see this video, is that this will likely never be made available here. Canada just passed a 100% tariff on Chinese made cars, and while I do hope that the Poland factory helps avoid that, I just don't think there will be a supply chain available to make them available here. :( We'll just have to wait and see!

[@S_Curves]

So why is the fiat 500 so expensive.

[@cargilekm]

Tarriffs and greed. cheers

[@truetech4158]

Because its named after a currency.

[@drfisheye]

Because: looks better, better screen, better UI, physical AC controls, Android Auto / Apple CarPlay support, heated seats, 85kw DC charging instead of 45kw, three phase AC charging instead of single phase, liquid cooled battery instead of air cooled battery, nicer materials, nicer paints, more horse power, more torque, better road-handling, one pedal driving, etc. In short: the Fiat isn't a crap cheap car.

[@AWildBard]

battery manufacturing outside China is expensive In China, battery manufacturing tends to be 5-10 years ahead ... maybe 15 years ahead of Fiat and other recalcitrant brands

[@kugelblitz777]

Chinese mechanical engineering is massively efficient

[@Souchirouu]

Looks pretty cute. I'd drive this.

[@keithwilson1554]

In Australia the MG4 and the Ora Cat go for around 15000 Pound.

[@AlfarrisiMuammar]

Price war has begun in Australia

[@urbanstrencan]

This big cities best new roundabout. Great video

[@ElectricCarAustralia]

Great to see the T03 featured again on FCL.

[@EugeneLambert]

Thanks for sticking to the 'affordable small EV' mantra. And great joke about the USB A sockets, which made me snort in a very indecorous manner. 😆

[@avronaut]

In German, there is a distinction between "billig" and "preiswert". Billig (cheap) implies low quality or inferior. Preiswert means that something is worth its price. The Leapmotor T03 is the first compact electric car that is preiswert (offers good value for money).

[@JackScarlett1]

This is excellent - thanks for sharing.

[@kumbackquatsta]

hopefully the hvac, infotainment, and drive modes can be improved further via ota updates

[@paulfrindle7144]

I totally agree with you, whilst everyone is apparently spending loads on what are basically gas guzzling and energy munching 'private trucks', what we really need are small, economical, reliable and comfortable cars for 2 people to get around in. What happened to the massively successful original Mini, the Ford Fiesta, the Fiat 500, the Renault 4 and 5? Now those really were sensible urban cars that were up for much more - and in fact I went back and forth between Norwich in Norfolk and Paris France many times in an original Mini - no problem at all. And yeah, it even had a real spare wheel, really useful when I had a flat on the autoroute FFS :-)

[@G-ra-ha-m]

The old simple cars have been outlawed. Now only the rich can buy new.

[@baryonyx9642]

Bit sad that these amazing Chinese Evs are going to get taxed to oblivion.

[@paoloolivero1092]

I don't think it'll apply to this one. Stellantis is starting production in Poland, probably only to avoid tariffs

[@truetech4158]

Makes you want to question questionable forms of authority if you want in a timely manner to stop messing with the ecosystem with all that monetization of the suffering of others. We should elect scientists for a change, rather than the junk version of those. 185mph gulf of mexico texaco winds recorded in yesterdays news slamming into that state of confusion known for the talking mouse with jazz hands and the grabbyhands gramps yelly mr hushmoney clockwork orange creeper. A fish bumper sticker is stickman caveman drawing code for stockholm syndrome.

[@julianwinn4502]

Great review. Entertaining and informative.

[@stevem6259]

What a refreshing idea: a vehicle with four wheels (plus a steering wheel and brakes) that can get from A-B at comparitively low cost. Taking a leaf (no pun intended) out of the book of the Henry Ford T-type. And you won't find J Clarkson in one anytime soon. What's not to like?

[@danielmadar9938]

8:16 Best moment of Jack in the last few weeks 😂❤😂❤

[@rinnin]

Brilliant review Jack. That’s exactly what I’m looking for to replace my 13-year-old Nissan Micra. Just want to get from A to B as efficiently as possible. Shame about the infotainment system. Didn’t Ora have difficulty with Apple CarPlay also? Maybe it’s something to do with the licensing for Chinese cars? I wonder how fast the charging is on that battery also.

[@james2578]

both of them in one video. wow. amazing. no one has ever done this in car journalism before. revolutionary.

[@CloudhoundCoUk]

"UK Availability of parts, maintenance, and servicing issues have not been addressed." Such factors are opportunity cost considerations.

[@segue2ant395]

It strikes me that it could be a lot cheaper with little functional compromise. A 3-door version without the pano-roof and infotainment, maybe even with a reduced battery size, making it somewhere between a car and a microcar, would be very welcome.

[@GruffSillyGoat]

But that would increase design, production, parts sourcing and operating costs due to multiple variants needing to be supported - raising the overall cost at this price point/margin level - meaning both the current car and a stripped down two door car variant would end up costing more than having the single model.

[@t1n4444]

​@GruffSillyGoat 😂😂😂😂 Oh dear, oh dear, oh deary, deary me, where do you get these ideas? Simply "downgrade" the spec and cut out fancy options. Something like an ancient Issigonis Mini, two door ... with hydrogen fuel cell tech. That'll do it and no mistake. Call it the renaissance of the EV. Batteries are so yesterday I wonder anyone bothers with developing a charging infrastructure. Too much of a faff and no mistake. There again if Elon does get around to a Tesla H (or so the rumours suggest???) then his supporters would suddenly become hydrogenistas in a heartbeat.

[@johnnodge4327]

​@@t1n4444 Hydrogen doesn't work in a small vehicle, as there's nowhere to put the massive tanks. Hydrogen isn't even green, as 98% of Hydrogen is simply made my steam reformation of natural gas, which is so not green, you might as well burn petrol. Hydrogen filling stations are closing all the time, yet EV charging points are getting more abundant by thousands per month. Please, unless you can work out how to store Hydrogen as a liquid at room temperature, just stop with this Hydrogen boondoggle.

[@GruffSillyGoat]

​​​@@t1n4444 - and what proportion of the public would go for two door, non-sports, cars over four door models ... the answer very few, which is why they went out of favour. Hydrogen, well that must be older than 'so yesterday' as indeed no one is bothering with the refilling infrastructure. Let's see hydrogen fueling sites in the UK deployed over the last eight years about 17, roughly six of which are open to the public. Against over 35,000 UK EV charging sites growing at over 2,000 a month; it seems battery charging is holding its own by some margin. Perhaps we should check in again in another 1,000 years by then hydrogen's annual deployment might have caught up with battery's current monthly level.

[@t1n4444]

@@GruffSillyGoat 😂😂😂😂 Kindly stop posting nonsense, as in asking fatuous questions. And posting duff gen on the state of the EV market.

[@atulmalhotra2303]

I have been waiting for this car to arrive in India since I first saw it on this channel. Stellantis India have announced that they are bringing it here early 2025. That said, India is a very different market. We already have wonderful e cars starting at about 7000 pounds (MG Comet). If the T03 comes here at 15k pounds, it just won't find any buyers. That segment of the market is already dominated by Tata Motors, and their offerings at 15-16k are way bigger than the T03 I expect the T03 to arrive here at 8000 pounds. Anything above that, it simply won't attract any buyers

[@wbjxfkwsklejfde34d]

Small evs: zoe, i3, e-up (come back!) spring, ec-3, renault 5, hyundai insta, fiat 500, e-corsa etc. When shopping recently for a car what was really missing was a golf sized car, with enough room in the back for a car seat, decent sized boot and roof rails - because once a year i need to go on holiday with a bit more stuff. or at least fixing points - which have gone out of fashion it seems. We gave up, and went with replacing our runaround with an i3 and kept our golf for a few more years.

[@annanonymous5644]

Is it "hyundai insta" or "hyundai inster"? Can never tell as English people tend not pronounce their "r"s very well. Unlike Hiberno English speakers (i.e. Irish ppl)

[@marviwilson1853]

There was a time when cars like the Ford Fiesta were considerably cheaper to buy in Holland than the UK. People from the UK went across the North Sea and bought them in Holland and then drove them home. I wonder if you could buy this cheaper in China and then send it over here on a container. Presumably DVLA would then charge you over £9000 to register it!

[@barrywebber100]

Totally agree, small EV's won't take off until they are as cheap as in China!

[@tivvy-xf4kz]

@@barrywebber100 They will need to be as cheap as old used cars. The cheap used market won't exist when most ev's get to app 10 yrs old as they will be too expensive to maintain especially as we will be forced to use main deales. The DIY side will disappear. They will be like a phone just handed back on PCP and get a new one and continue paying.

[@johnreed1840]

Fantastic review!

[@paulroberts7946]

I live in Japan and am considering buying a Nissan Sakura. I believe that there are two choices for tyre sizes. 15 inch and 14 inch which would you recommend?

[@deltajohnny]

14 is better, with more tyre height, which is better for potholes, etc 😉

[@kevinbullas2328]

Excellent review Jack…’cutting to the chase’👍🏻

[@robertgraham6481]

The Moo Deng reference was beautiful.

[@alexs-ukhssourcingpartner4116]

The centre air vents could do with swapping places with the 10" screen, placed too low. Ditch the pano roof. Instead, fit a sliding rear seat with a flip up bench. An optional manual padded canvas sunroof would give it loads of swagger.

[@LINCARD1000]

YES! Small, cheap EV city cars! I get why there's eleventy billion urban assault vehicles (SUVs) - they're obviously popular and selling, otherwise makers wouldn't be putting out so many of the damned things. But... small! Cheap! Yes! I tend to call them "granny cars" as typically a lot of them are sold to older folk who want something to toodle around town in, doing shopping etc etc. But as many populations get older in various westernised countries, I suspect this is a very underserved section of the market. But they also have appeal for anyone who doesn't need one to make a trip to the other side of the planet in. As so many proper studies point out, for the most part most people's journeys tend to be on the shorter side anyway. So anyway... More of this, please! Great review/vid, Jack

[@isstuff]

i think its face is super cute, and if you are going to have a car this small it needs to be fun looking or cute. Personally i think we are a 2 car family and the second car must be something like this. the insta is probably preferred.

[@chrisreid6237]

Looks good as a possible panda replacement in a few years, definitely pleased to see usb a cause that’s what all plug sockets are and what comes with every phone.

[@concinnus]

What kind of phones are you buying, lol. I got an S21 FE 3 years ago and it came with a C-C cable.

[@johnstraw6138]

I agree leave the screen out and give us a phone dock. We don’t want to buy a naff screen or experience it.

[@Ulbre]

You did a review on the Neta V a while ago, not sure if it is available in UK yet, but I'd say it smacks this Leapmotor in every area.

[@tobiasjennerjahn8659]

Loving this development. Early next year I'm going to need to buy a new car and I've been dreading it for the longest time. It was always going to be an EV, but for the longest time the small ones were shit and the big ones were insanely expensive. But over the last couple of months this has really changed. I have my eye on the Hyundai Inster, but the Kia ev3 is looking good as well. Now this is joining the mix and the Renault 5 doesn't look to bad either. So lots of things to choose from and now I'm actually looking forward to it.

[@PaddyWV]

I must have misheard this, but Just seen an earlier review of the version selling in Malta and the price quoted was €8000 aka £6000

[@vahidvahidnia1643]

Gotta say, I didn’t see that coming! You got me.

[@VanCityAdam]

Moo Deng reference was not on my Bingo Card when I clicked on this video...😂

[@mikemellor759]

Fascinating review - I was in Buy mode until Jack’s description of the screen!

[@SamPhoenix_]

Wow. This is awesome. This could very much become the fiat 500 of electric cars (yes I know the 500e exists) and I’m here for it. I only wish they could get a bit of a battery bump, some physical buttons and CarPlay.

[@AEG8000UniversalThrow]

Being I’m your height this would be great for my first ev.

[@fleachamberlain1905]

LOL I'd like a cassette player in my car. Do you think we could get them to make it an option?

[@Sub12Ballistics]

So close, but needs to be actually cheap. (Preferably under 12K). Start by ditching the sunroof and all the useless tech. Analog dials and mechanical heater controls are just fine in this segment. No need for reversing aids in a car that small either. Very good effort though.

[@GruffSillyGoat]

The days of sub circa £15k new cars are long gone, it would need a world wide period of deflation to get prices back down to that level again, but no one would be able to afford them if that was the case. Even bargin basement Dacia models are drifting up to this level - with only the base model Sandero without many options being below this price on the road. Analog instrumentation and generally mechanical control components costs more these days then digital, due to scale of production economics, higher degree of manual labour to fit and lack of commonality across models. This has been the case for ages, which is why most cars have moved to button/touch controls away from mechanical controls of yore. Many of the driver aids in modern cars are the results of NCAP safety requirements, a car would score too low without them to be marketable; at about a grand difference people will price safety above cheapness.

[@SusieSmart]

Even a base Kia Picanto costs £15,595, not sure why this should cost many thousands less 🤷‍♂️. Apart from not having Apple CarPlay, the T03 is better equipped too.

[@johnnodge4327]

Mechanical dials actually cost more to manufacture than an LCD screen, so fitted old fashioned dials would increase the cost of the vehicle. This is cheap for a car, let alone a pretty well equipped city EV.

[@Sub12Ballistics]

Well, I'm willing to bow to those more knowledgeable on the cost of traditional instruments vs their digital replacements. There are still a lot of unnecessary "features" in this car (and most if not all other modern cars) that try to sell themselves as being inexpensive. A dealer relatively local to me was advertising the Dacia Sandero at under 14K so back to basics can work.

[@SusieSmart]

@@Sub12Ballistics having adaptive cruise etc probably doesn’t really cost much as it uses the same sensors / cameras as the automatic emergency braking anyway so for the sake of an extra button and a bit of software, they might as well include it.

[@winfriedtheis5767]

Thanks Jack! Your point about the T03 becoming potentially the start of Stellantis giving us a nice variety of A segment EVs to choose from! All I would say is: they shouldn’t bother with a better infotainment screen, just give us an app that integrates smoothly with the car and a phone holder like in the Ami!

[@ggginforlab]

Caution, somebody glued a tablet in the dashboard, you easy can kill your knee 😁

[@barry28907]

I'd guess that the eco/normal/sport effect on "regen" really means its effect on lift-off deceleration, right? Ie -- You presumably still get full electric REGENERATION when you use the brake pedal, regardless of driving mode.

[@MrAdopado]

If you use the brake pedal you are going to be using actual brakes ... even if there's some regen going on as well. Any energy consumed by actual brakes is "lost forever" of course. It is the minority of EVs that have the brake pedal first bringing on regen and then on stronger pressure using actual brakes ... my Tesla doesn't do it (though future software may make this available).

[@johnnodge4327]

​@@MrAdopado My Ioniq 5 increases regen by brake pedal application, giving greater energy recovery than simply relying on regen, more even than with the full regen paddle held on. It's all about clever mapping of brake pedal, nothing more than that.

[@barry28907]

@MrAdopado Tesla is actually the exception. The vast majority of other brands of EVs have the computer determine the optimal blend of regen vs friction braking. My Kia EV6 has an explicit brake-cleaning feature that forces the use of the friction brakes so that they don't remain wet.

[@barry28907]

Tesla, as market leader, created the widespread conflating of the deceleration SIGNAL (accelerator liftoff OR brake pedal press) with the deceleration MECHANISM (regen or friction). It's not helpful that this EV-oriented channel perpetuates the misunderstanding. Alex on Autos does a much better job.

[@smarte.r.1450]

Intriguing …! Can you Bluetooth the audio from your smartphone so use Apple Maps but with the audio coming through the car like I do with a Smart car?

[@RSidhu-q2q]

Superlative review for a progressive EV / building efforts.

[@Tamaresque]

Wow! That's $31,000 AUD! I have a Suzuki Swift and LOVE it and am looking for something like that, but this is out of my price range.

[@PCRoss2469]

I remember when 15's were pretty large (on a MkII Escort)

[@lkrnpk]

GMW Ora 03 in Latvia starts from 26 995 euros, if we apply incentives of 4,5k euro we get 22,5k euro price, you can now see them driving around. But this Leapmotor T03 has great price

[@AJames-jr8kw]

Stellantis could make a success of this with the few mods reviewers are suggesting. A rear wiper, better centre sceen & UX etc. It has a water cooled battery and can get 8.6 kWh/100km if you drive carefully.(7miles/kWh). I think the price has dropped in China another grand so there is margin there to work with.

[@decimal1815]

At last. A really affordable decent small EV! ❤

[@dorianleakey]

I dunno, I think it's really cute. I think it could really take off.

[@CorwynGC]

Regen is one of those things that is great, and better the less of it you use. If you are using heavy regen braking, you are wasting energy. Adjust your driving so that you use no regen will improve your range significantly. People are often confused, since without regen braking, any braking you do is a complete waste of energy instead of the 15% waste of energy that regen gets you.

[@r-type4945]

I'm quickly losing track of all the Chinese brands and models. 😵‍💫 It's impressive what they're doing though

[@therealjeffg]

Where have you been Jack? Thanks for the review. What is the power consumption/efficiency?

[@Zachry86]

Imagine if they took away the sunroof and some of the other luxury kit. Took away the centre screen and added some dials/buttons for car functions. Then they could have kicked down the price even more.